food storage

[UCONNMike]

I am packin up my food for my hike, and i started doubting the ziplock bags i was using, i am worried that thye might open up on me, i have two different kinds, the ones with the acctual zipper on top and then a heavy duty freezer bag with the traditional push down on the strip kind. what bags will give me more confidence holding things like my trail mix, instant coffee, and rice?

[Youngblood]

I'm no expert on this but my experience is that any of them can fail but that the closure system on the name brand ones work more reliably than the off brand ones and that freezer bags are more durable than the regular strength bags.

When I pack the types of items you mention, I try to double bag them in some fashion. For instance, I may use snack size zip-lock bags for oatmill and put 4 days worth of those into 1 qt size zip-lock bag. My 4 oz plastic bottle of olive oil goes inside two qt size zip-lock bags because of the damage it can do if it leaks.

Youngblood

[Frosty]

I am packin up my food for my hike, and i started doubting the ziplock bags i was using, i am worried that thye might open up on me, i have two different kinds, the ones with the acctual zipper on top and then a heavy duty freezer bag with the traditional push down on the strip kind. what bags will give me more confidence holding things like my trail mix, instant coffee, and rice?

I like the kinds without the actual zipper. I pack my extra clothes in Ziploc bags, and squish them down before closing to reduce bulk. Air eventually leaks back into all the bags, but much more quickly into the zipper/slider ones.

The key to avoiding bags opening in a backpack is to underfill them. Use two bags one third full rather than one bag two thirds full. The bags will get pushed and squeezed in your pack, and a bag with little space left will open much quicker.

I also double bag lots of food items, putting them in lightweight sandwhich bags individually before putting them into a large frezer bag.

[texashiker]

I actually just ziplock everything and don't stress about the closure but place all the food in a garbage bag. (Works as a bear bag at night.) If it gets lose it does not get too lose.

The other thing I do is every morning I take the day's hiking snacks and place them in a seperate ziplock in an easy access place.

[smokymtnsteve]

I use the bags I get from the co-op bulk food aisle. then I just tie it closed with an overhand knot. no zipper at all. cheap.

[eyahiker]

Go with the better zippers ( the attachments ones), they work best for me, I had both this last trip out, and the thin basic ones got trashed, opened up etc. The $ difference is definately not that big a deal for the value of the heavier bag. They weigh a miniscule bit more...

[Lilred]

I line my food bag with an oven liner bag. Very lightweight and adds extra waterproofing. I line my stuff sak for my sleeping bag with one too.

[whcobbs]

UCONN--
Old nylon stockings--knee highs will do-- make good containers for one or more dry zip-lock meals. The nylon knit will contain a food spill, but this will hardly ever happen anyway because the stretchy stuff keeps things compact. It's easier to pack ziplock meals this way, saves space, and the weight penalty is very small. Works ok with both sorts of zip closure.
Walt

I am packin up my food for my hike, and i started doubting the ziplock bags i was using, i am worried that thye might open up on me, i have two different kinds, the ones with the acctual zipper on top and then a heavy duty freezer bag with the traditional push down on the strip kind. what bags will give me more confidence holding things like my trail mix, instant coffee, and rice?

[TakeABreak]

Mike,

I bought a vacuum sealer at sams club and plenty of vacuum bags. I vacuum sealed everything that was going in mail drops. I started preparing like you 6 months prior to my start date. All of my food was fresh and dry the next year.

I put a few freeze zip locks in each mail drop for items that were not consumed in one setting. I also lined the inside of pack with a trash compactor bag, kept everything dry. I put a extra trash compactor in varied mail drops along the way to compensate for wear & tear.

I worked really well.